The Necklace
by ackeberlynn
Summary: One-shot epilogue/Coda for 2.10.  Danny and Steve take turns caring for each other after the harrowing rescue.  Processing, grieving, and lots of TLC.


**Disclaimer**: I own nothing but the specific arrangement of words in this document.**  
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**Warning**: Spoilers for episode 1.23 and episode 2.10. Rated T for mild language.

**Author's Note**: Okay. This is an epilogue (I believe some would call it a 'coda') to episode 2.10.

Rest assured, all you ML haters, that she is not mentioned in this fic. Although I am a firm believer in canon, I want to wait to see what happens with this character who has sparked so much hate and indifference among H50 fans before I start writing with her. I'm genuinely curious to see what happens. :P Although I do find it amusing that I at first hated Jenna Kaye's character (it seemed to me that she was almost over-acting) but then was so saddened by her death. I guess we get attached even to the characters we hate, and I hypothesize that if the show ever kills off Lori Weston in the future, we will be moved to grieve then as well. Just a thought. ;)

Also, if you are interested in knowing, this fic spawned from two specific scenes: (1) in the scene where Steve closes a dead Jenna Kaye's eyes, I noticed that she was wearing a cross necklace (unless I'm crazy) :P, and (2) the look on Danny's face in the scene where he stood over a dead Jenna Kaye, the woman who once saved his life.

As always, all mistakes are mine.

Hope you enjoy. :)

**The Necklace**

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><p>Danny tried to be quiet. Really, he did.<p>

But he guessed there was no mistaking the soft, creaking snick of the front door closing shut in a silent house.

He was just reaching to toss his keys on the coffee table when McGarrett bounded around the corner from the kitchen, gun in hand.

Danny nearly jumped at the sudden sight of his partner.

"Shit, McGarrett!" His arms shot up in gesture of surprised surrender. "What the hell?"

The weapon lowered instantly, and Steve, who was wearing a dark green buttoned shirt opened over a pair of grey Navy sweatpants, pressed a shaky palm against one of his eyes.

"Damn. Sorry Danny. I forgot what time it was."

The blonde man gave his partner a critical once-over, noting the still-vibrant bruises coloring McGarrett's face, forearms, and exposed torso.

"Apology accepted."

He finished the motion of tossing the keys on the table, then walked over to take the gun from his partner's hand.

"You just wake up?"

"Yeah," Steve said. "Heard a car pull up in the driveway. I forgot what time it was."

He didn't have to tell Danny that he'd been having nightmares. Horrible, vivid, nightmares of pain and blood and Wo Fat's crooked smile. He didn't have to explain how he woke up disoriented, in flight-or-fight mode, and that arming himself had given him a feeling of control in the moment, however illusory.

He didn't have to tell Danny that he'd been sleeping with his gun out on the nightstand rather than tucked inside its drawer; that he needed to have it even more accessible now. He didn't have to mention how his body was beginning to ache from his rushed stumble down the stairs. He didn't have to explain anything. Danny was his partner, and Danny already knew.

"Nah, I probably should've called first," the shorter man replied lightly. "You should sit down."

Steve did as he was told, almost looking relieved to let his body sink into his late father's recliner. His eyes closed on their own accord when he felt his back muscles relax into the cool cushions

The worry in Danny's voice was unmistakable. "You've been taking care of yourself these few days, right Superman? Huh? Have Chin and Kono been stopping by?"

Steve cleared his throat to speak as he felt sleep tugging at his brain. "I've been good. Everyone's been by – Chin and Malia, Kono, Joe, Kamekona, even Max."

"Sounds like this place has been Grand Central Station. Bet you're wiped."

Steve let out a huff of laughter. "Pretty much."

Sleep still hadn't taken him yet when he heard the distinct sound of a pill bottle being shook.

"You've been taking these?"

The former SEAL resisted the urge to roll his eyes and let out a long-suffering sigh. "Yes, mom."

"Shut up, jerk," came the retort, but without any malice.

"Well, while you nap, I'm going to clean up bit and see what we got to eat," Danny said after moment's silence.

Steve was already snoring softly.

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><p>When he finally woke up hours later, it was dark, and though his mind felt refreshed for probably the first time in days, his body was stiff from sleeping in the recliner.<p>

He blinked the room into focus, then reached for the bottle of water and pills laying within reach on the coffee table. He knew that Danny had placed them there, and that was when he remembered that his partner had returned earlier that afternoon from a weekend away with Grace. He quickly swallowed a couple painkillers and downed half the bottle of water.

The house was still and quiet, so Steve went searching for his partner, noting as he padded through the kitchen that the morning's dishes had been washed and placed on the rack to dry.

He frowned as he stepped soundlessly onto the lanai where his partner sat, shoulders slumped, in one of the wicker chairs.

Three empty beer bottles sat on the ground, and his partner was nursing a fourth. He seemed to be staring down at something clenched in his other hand, but Steve couldn't be sure. What concerned him was the wetness in Danny's eyes, which glistened in the darkness like light reflecting off of precious stones.

"Hey," Steve called softly.

Danny straightened immediately, sniffed, and swiped a hand roughly down his face.

"Yeah, what?" The man's voice was gravelly with emotion.

Steve just maneuvered himself into the second wicker chair, wincing slightly at the pull of muscles in his abdomen.

"Something happen today?" he asked carefully.

The shorter man sniffed again, shaking his head. "No."

Steve nodded, then tried a different a route. "How was the weekend with Grace?"

Danny took a deep breath. "It was good. Took her to the Maui Ocean Center."

"Oh, yeah?" Steve commented, genuinely interested. "How'd she like that?"

"She loved it. I think the sea turtle is her new favorite animal."

Steve smiled, noting not for the first time how easily his partner lit up when the conversation shifted to Grace.

"That's great man. I'm glad you two had a nice weekend."

"Yeah…" Danny's face fell, and silence reigned once more.

"So, you want to talk about what's bothering you, or do I have to play twenty questions?"

In response, Danny threw his head back and drained the last of his beer, slamming the empty bottle down onto the concrete.

"Just forget it, man."

Steve snorted, then shook his head. "Unbelievable."

He waited.

"And you call _me_ 'emotionally stunted,'" he snarked.

Still no reaction.

"Look Danny, whatever it is –"

"She didn't deserve what happened to her," Danny finally said, the words tumbling out in a breathy rush. "You know? She didn't."

Steve took as deep a breath as his still-healing torso would allow.

He hadn't had time to process it all. Hell. Neither of them had.

They'd gotten back from North Korea and the weekend had just snuck up on them. Danny had almost forgotten he had Grace; and, seeing as he was still crashing on Steve's couch, had been concerned that his daughter would start asking questions about her 'Uncle Steve's' severely beaten condition that he couldn't answer. Between tying up the loose ends of the case, making sure their asses were covered so no one lost their jobs over 'Operation Save Steve', worrying over his partner, and fretting over what to do with Grace, Danny had been nearly at the end of his rope.

Then someone, Steve couldn't remember who, recommended at the last minute that Danny take his daughter on a weekend trip to Maui to visit the Ocean Center. Though reluctant to leave his partner, Danny realized that having an eight-year-old around probably wasn't going to aid the recovery process. So, he made multiple threats of dire harm if Steve even _thought_ of leaving his house over the weekend, and made Chin and Kono promise they'd check in on the former SEAL daily.

Steve realized that the past few hours had been the least eventful of the entire week, and the memories of their North Korean escapade had probably come back and hit his partner full force. Hence the beer. Hence the strong emotions.

And damn if Steve didn't find his own breath catching at the shock of it all.

"No. She didn't." He said finally.

Danny looked up, his gaze intense. "You didn't deserve what happened to you, either. She sold you out."

Steve didn't reply. He couldn't.

Because it still hurt.

"She called me," Danny continued slowly. "From that bunker. I guess it was after she found out she'd been played. She was hysterical. Crying. Apologizing." He shook his head. "I don't think I'll ever get that sound out of my head."

He swallowed, then cleared his throat.

"Do you remember when we moved on that safehouse last year, the one Sang Min rigged with a bomb?"

'_You mean the case where you almost died?'_ Steve wanted to say, but didn't.

"Yeah, I remember," he said instead. "We thought Wo Fat was inside. But he wasn't."

Danny drew in a shaky breath. "She saved my life, Steven."

The former SEAL nodded, reaching over to grip his partner's shoulder. "I know, man."

"I remember I walked into HQ after it was over, and told her I didn't know how to repay her," Danny said, blinking furiously to keep the tears at bay. "And she said, 'a hug will do.' That's it."

"She was a good person, underneath it all," Steve said.

"She was naïve…innocent. That's how Wo Fat got to her," Danny shook his head, his right fist tightening. "I swear to God if I didn't want to get that bastard before I sure as hell do now."

"Hey, you and me both," Steve agreed.

For the first time, Steve noticed the small silver chain dangling from his partner's clenched fingers.

"Whatchya got there?"

"Oh…it's uh…." Danny held the object up, the light refracting just enough to make out the diamonds on a small cross necklace.

"Is that….?" Steve wondered aloud, pointing.

"It's Jenna's. I don't know what it was that made me grab it. I figure maybe her parents will want it." He hung his head sadly. "I can't believe they won't even have a body to bury."

"I think her parents are dead," Steve said. "She mentioned that she'd sold her parents home to get the money to pay for her fiancée's release."

Danny absorbed this new information, then bit his lip.

"So, she didn't have anyone."

Steve frowned. "She had us."

"She didn't have me."

"Danny, don't –"

"Don't what, huh? Don't admit that I'm an ungrateful bastard? She saved my life – what did I ever do for her? Huh? Nothing."

And that was it. Steve finally lost it.

"And what did she do for us, Danny, besides deceive and betray us in the end? Yes, she saved your life, and I'm grateful for that. But she made her choices. I feel sorry for her, yeah, but I'm not going to sit here and listen to you beat yourself up over her death when there was nothing you could've done."

Steve's speech was delivered with a sharpness that he instantly regretted. His friend could emote like nobody's business, but was genuinely tender-hearted.

Danny needed to grieve for Jenna Kaye, and even if Steve wasn't ready to do so, he figured he should at least be supportive of his friend.

"I'm sorry, Danny."

His friend put up a hand. "No. Don't. You've been through hell. You had every right to say that. I don't even know what the hell I'm saying, here."

Danny rubbed his hands down his face and back through his hair, and Steve could clearly see the exhaustion in his friend's features.

"Hey. You're probably still jet-lagged. Why don't you call it a night?"

"Yeah, you're probably right," Danny agreed, rising unsteadily to his feet.

Steve held onto the man's elbow and helped him navigate around the empty bottles, inside the house, and over onto the couch.

He handed Danny the headphones he'd bought for him, then stepped back and eyed his weary friend.

"You okay?"

Danny leaned back into the cushions. "No. But I will be. You?"

Steve just gave him a slight, knowing smirk. "'Night, Danno."

"'Night."

But Steve didn't miss how, as he slowly made his way up the stairs, Danny lay on the couch with the cross necklace still clasped tightly in his fist, the chain draped across his blanketed chest.

_The End._

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><p><strong>AN**: Thoughts?


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